The Bombay High Court is hearing the bail plea of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, who was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3 in the Mumbai cruise drugs case. The overcrowded courtroom was cleared to ensure COVID-19 protocols are followed during the hearing.

Aryan has been denied bail twice, by a Mumbai magistrate court and a special NDPS court, which sent him to judicial custody till October 30 last week, saying Aryan’s knowledge about the six grams of charas hidden in his friend Arbaaz Merchant’s shoe amounted to “conscious possession.”

Aryan Khan’s bail plea before Bombay High Court: All you need to know

Aryan has been lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail since October 8 and was briefly in the custody of the NCB before that.

Aryan Khan’s High Court bail hearing comes as Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) faces allegations of massive lapses in the investigation including an alleged Rs 8 crore payoff to NCB officer Sameer Wankhede who is leading the investigation.

Aryan Khan case: Sameer Wankhede move special court against extortion allegations

The NCB has ordered a vigilance inquiry into allegations by a witness in the case of an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials, including Wankhede, and others for letting off Aryan Khan. Wankhede, the NCB’s Mumbai zonal director, visited the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Aryan’s lawyers argued in court that the NCB was “misinterpreting” his WhatsApp chats to implicate him.

While opposing Aryan’s bail, NCB alleged that Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani has “appeared to have influenced” a witness. The NCB said Dadlani attempted to tamper investigation. The anti-narcotics agency sought more time to follow up on what it called “international drug connection of Aryan Khan.”

The agency has also cited Aryan Khan’s “influential position” in the society to oppose the bail, saying he may tamper with evidence and influence other witnesses whom he personally knows.